Patient-specific glenoid guide with a reusable guide holder

ABSTRACT

A glenoid device for preparing a shoulder joint of a patient includes a reusable guide holder having a body between an upper surface and a lower surface and a bore passing through the body of the guide holder. The glenoid device also includes a patient-specific glenoid guide having a body with an upper and lower surface. The lower surface of the patient-specific glenoid guide is configured as a negative surface of a glenoid face based on preoperative image scans of the shoulder joint of the patient. The upper face of the patient-specific glenoid guide is configured to be coupled and contact the lower face of the guide holder, such that the bore of the guide holder is aligned along a patient-specific bore through the body of the patient-specific glenoid guide and along a corresponding alignment axis of the patient-specific glenoid guide.

INTRODUCTION

In shoulder arthroplasty various guides and instruments are used to determine an alignment axis and guide an implant for anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty. The present teachings provide various patient-specific and reusable guide instruments for use in shoulder arthroplasty.

SUMMARY

The present teachings provide a glenoid device that includes a non-custom guide holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide for anatomic and/or reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

The present teachings provide a glenoid device for preparing a shoulder joint of a patient includes a reusable guide holder having a body between an upper surface and a lower surface and a bore passing through the body of the guide holder. The glenoid device also includes a patient-specific glenoid guide having a body with an upper and lower surface. The lower surface of the patient-specific glenoid guide is configured as a negative surface of a glenoid face based on preoperative image scans of the shoulder joint of the patient. The upper face of the patient-specific glenoid guide is configured to be coupled and contact the lower face of the guide holder, such that the bore of the guide holder is aligned along a patient-specific bore through the body of the patient-specific glenoid guide and along a corresponding alignment axis of the patient-specific glenoid guide.

The present teachings also provide a method of preparing a shoulder joint of a patient for arthroplasty. The method includes attaching a reusable non-custom guide holder to a patient-specific glenoid guide. The patient-specific glenoid guide has a patient-specific lower surface configured to nestingly mate and conform to a corresponding surface of a glenoid face of the patient based on a three-dimensional image of a shoulder joint of the patient reconstructed preoperatively from image scans of the shoulder joint of the patient. The patient-specific lower surface is mated to the glenoid face. A guiding pin is passed through a bore of the guide holder and through a bore of the patient-specific glenoid guide along a patient-specific alignment orientation of the shoulder joint of the patient. The guiding pin is inserted into the glenoid face. The guide holder and the patient-specific glenoid guide are removed without removing the guiding pin. The guiding pin can be used to prepare the shoulder joint for arthroplasty.

Further areas of applicability of the present teachings will become apparent from the description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the description and specific examples are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present teachings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present teachings will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is an environmental view of a reusable holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide shown in use for anatomic shoulder arthroplasty according to the present teachings;

FIG. 1A is a side view of an alternative reusable guide holder;

FIG. 2 is an environmental view of reusable holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide shown in use for reverse shoulder arthroplasty according to the present teachings;

FIG. 3 is perspective top environmental view of the patient-specific glenoid guide of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 is perspective top environmental view of the patient-specific glenoid guide of FIG. 2 ;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the reusable guide holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 6 is a perspective top view of the patient-specific glenoid guide of FIG. 5 ;

FIG. 7 is a perspective bottom view of the reusable guide holder of FIG. 5 ; and

FIG. 8 is an environmental view illustrating a guiding pin used during reaming in shoulder arthroplasty.

Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the present teachings, applications, or uses.

The present teachings generally provide a glenoid device that includes a reusable guide holder and a patient-specific alignment guide for use in shoulder joint replacement, shoulder resurfacing procedures and other procedures related to the shoulder joint or the various bones of the shoulder joint, including the glenoid face or cavity of the scapula, the humeral head and adjacent shoulder bones. The present teachings can be applied to anatomic shoulder replacement and reverse shoulder replacement. The reusable guide holder is not patient-specific. The patient-specific guide can be used either with conventional implant components or with patient-specific implant components and/or bone grafts that are prepared using computer-assisted image methods according to the present teachings. Computer modeling for obtaining three-dimensional images of the patient's anatomy using medical scans of the patient's anatomy (such as MRI, CT, ultrasound, X-rays, PET, etc.), any patient-specific prosthesis components and the patient-specific guides can be prepared using various commercially available CAD programs and/or software available, for example, by Object Research Systems or ORS, Montreal, Canada.

The patient-specific guide (and any associated patient-specific implants and bone grafts, when used) can be generally designed and manufactured based on computer modeling of the patient's 3-D anatomic image generated from medical image scans including, for example, X-rays, MRI, CT, PET, ultrasound or other medical scans. The patient-specific guide can have a three-dimensional engagement surface that is complementary and made to substantially mate and match in only one position (i.e., as a substantially negative or mirror or inverse surface) with a three-dimensional bone surface with or without associated soft tissues, which is reconstructed as a 3-D image via the aforementioned CAD or software. Very small irregularities need not be incorporated in the three-dimensional engagement surface. The patient-specific guide can include a custom-made guiding bore in an orientation selected to be aligned along the anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty axis for the specific patient according to the preoperative surgical plan for the specific patient.

The three-dimensional geometry, shape and orientation of the various features of the patient-specific guide, as well as various patient-specific implants and bone grafts, if used, can be determined during the pre-operative planning stage of the procedure in connection with the computer-assisted modeling of the patient's anatomy. During the pre-operative planning stage, patient-specific instruments, custom, semi-custom or non-custom implants and other non-custom tools, can be selected and the patient-specific components can be manufactured for a specific-patient with input from a surgeon or other professional associated with the surgical procedure.

In the following discussion, the terms “patient-specific”, “custom-made” or “customized” are defined to apply to components, including tools such as alignment or drilling guides, implants, portions or combinations thereof, which include certain geometric features, including surfaces, curves, or other lines, and which are made to closely or nestingly conform and mate substantially as mirror-images or negatives or complementary surfaces of corresponding geometric features or anatomic landmarks of a patient's anatomy obtained or gathered during a pre-operative planning stage based on 3-D computer images of the corresponding anatomy reconstructed from image scans of the patient by computer imaging methods. Further, patient-specific guiding features, such as, guiding bores or other holes or openings that are included in patient-specific guides are defined as features that are made to have positions, orientations, dimensions, and axes specific to the particular patient's anatomy including various anatomic or reverse alignment axes based on the computer-assisted pre-operative plan associated with the patient.

The patient-specific guides can be configured to mate in alignment with natural anatomic landmarks by orienting and placing the corresponding alignment guide intra-operatively on top of the bone (with or without associated soft tissue at the discretion of the surgeon) to mate with corresponding landmarks. The anatomic landmarks function as passive fiducial identifiers or fiducial markers for positioning of the various alignment guides, drill guides or other patient-specific instruments.

The patient-specific guides can be made of any biocompatible material, including, polymer, ceramic, metal or combinations thereof. The patient-specific alignment guides can be disposable and can be combined or used with reusable and non patient-specific drilling, cutting, reaming and guiding components. The reusable guide holder can be made of metallic or polymeric materials that provide adequate rigidity for holding the patient-specific guide and guiding a drill. The reusable guide holder can be removable attached to an upper surface of the patient-specific guide such that an alignment pin or a drilling bit can be inserted through the guide holder and through the patient-specific guide along a patient-specific trajectory that corresponds to an anatomic or reverse alignment axis for the specific patient, as discussed below.

More specifically, the present teachings provide a reusable guide holder and a patient-specific glenoid guide that are used co-operatively for anatomic and reverse arthroplasty. The patient-specific glenoid guide of the present teachings can have a patient-specific engagement surface that references various portions of the shoulder joint and includes a patient-specific bore. The glenoid guide has a three-dimensional shape configured to align the guide holder to accurately position a guide wire or pin for later glenoid preparation and implantation procedures and for alignment purposes, including implant position control, implant version control, and implant inclination control for both anatomic and reverse arthroplasty.

In the following, when a portion of a glenoid guide is described as “referencing” a portion of the anatomy, it will be understood that the referencing portion of the glenoid guide is a patient-specific portion that mirrors or is a negative of the corresponding referenced anatomic portion.

In some embodiments, the glenoid guide can reference (substantially as a negative of) the face of the glenoid or glenoid cavity, avoiding the glenoid rim and any portion of the labrum. In other embodiments, the glenoid guide can reference (substantially as a negative of) the face of the glenoid and a portion of the glenoid rim. The glenoid guide can be designed to only remove a portion of the labrum (from 2-5 o'clock, for example) or the entire labrum. When the glenoid guide is designed to sit directly on bone rather than soft tissue, then the labrum is removed. In other embodiments, the glenoid guide can reference the labrum itself, such as when MRI scans are used to reconstruct details of the geometry of the soft tissue and the glenoid guide is designed references off soft tissue. In other embodiments, the glenoid guide can reference the glenoid face and a portion of the coracoid process or coracoid attachment or other bone surface that extends off the upper aspect of the glenoid.

A glenoid device 101 according to the present teachings is illustrated in use for anatomic shoulder arthroplasty of the glenoid of a scapula of a patient in FIG. 1 and for reverse shoulder arthroplasty in FIG. 2 . The glenoid device 101 includes a reusable guide holder 100 and a patient-specific glenoid guide 200. The patient-specific glenoid guide 200 is constructed preoperatively, such as by milling a generic block, from medical image scans of the specific patient, as discussed above, and for the specific surgical procedure, anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 has a three-dimensional patient-specific body 209 extending between an upper (or outer) surface 202 and a lower (or inner) or anatomy-engaging and patient-specific surface 204 that references (substantially as a negative or inverse or mirror) the glenoid face 80 and may include all or a portion of the labrum 82, i.e., the peripheral cartilaginous structure that encircles and deepens the glenoid face 80. Alternatively, the labrum 82 can be completely removed such that the patient-specific glenoid surface 204 references and mirrors only a portion of the bone surface of the glenoid cavity or glenoid face 80. Optionally, the glenoid guide 200 can include a peripheral portion or peripheral lip 206 with a corresponding patient-specific peripheral surface 205 that engages a corresponding peripheral surface or glenoid rim 84 around the scapula of the patient.

The patient-specific glenoid guide 200 is configured to guide a guiding pin (such as the guiding pin 150 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 ) and provide an implant alignment orientation for anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty according to the preoperatively surgical plan for the specific patient. In FIG. 3 , a patient-specific through bore 210 can extend from the upper surface 202 and through the patient-specific lower surface 204 of the glenoid guide 200 at a specific location and along an anatomic axis A that is determined and designed according to the pre-operative plan of the patient to define a patient-specific alignment axis and insertion point for a guiding pin 150 for anatomic shoulder arthroplasty. In FIG. 4 , a patient-specific through bore 216 can extend from the upper surface 202 and through the lower surface 204 of the glenoid guide 200 at a specific location and along a reverse axis R that is determined and designed according to the pre-operative plan of the patient to define a patient-specific alignment axis and insertion point for a guiding pin 150 for reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

For the same patient, the reverse alignment axis R can have an inferior tilt α relative to the anatomic alignment axis A, such as, for example, a ten-degree inferior tilt α. The patient-specific bore 210 of FIG. 3 and the patient-specific bore 216 of FIG. 4 are prepared preoperatively in alignment to the corresponding anatomic and reverse alignment axes of the specific patient. Further, the three-dimensional geometry of the body 209, including variable depth and shape, is designed preoperatively such that the upper surface 202 of the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 can engage and guide the reusable guide holder 100 for anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty alignment, as discussed below.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1A, the reusable guide holder 100 or 100A has a plate-like or substantially flat body 106 with upper and lower flat surfaces 110, 108 that are substantially parallel to one another. The overall shape of the body 106 can be oval approximating the shape of a typical glenoid surface. A handle shaft 102 is fixedly attached to and extends outward and away from the upper surface 110 at a 90-degree angle (FIG. 1 ) or other angle (FIG. 1A) relative to the upper surface 110. An elongated tubular guiding element 104 having an inner bore 112 is fixedly attached to and extends from the upper surface 110 at an angle relative to the upper surface 110. The bore 112 is collinear to a bore 114 through the body 106 such that a guiding pin 150 can be passed through the guide holder 100 and through the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 along the anatomic axis A, as shown in FIG. 1 , or through the reverse axis R as shown in FIG. 2 .

In other embodiments, the handle shaft 102 and the guide element 104 can be removably coupled to the body 106 for compact and easy packaging during transportation. The removable coupling can be a snap-fit, screw in or other removable attachment. It is noted that whether removably or fixedly attached to the body 106, the handle shaft 102 and the tubular guiding element 104 have fixed, non-custom orientations relative to the upper surface 110 of the body 106 of the guide holder 100.

The guide holder 100 also includes a plurality of short extensions, pegs or pins 120 that extend from the lower surface 108 of the guide holder 100 and can be received in corresponding mating bores or holes 212 preoperatively prepared through the upper surface 202 of the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 by a snap-fit or taper-to-taper or other type of quick connection. Three pins 120 and three corresponding holes 212 are shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 . It is noted that location of pins 120 and holes 212 can be reversed, such that the pins extend from the glenoid guide 200 and the holes are formed in the guide holder 100. When the lower surface 108 of the guide holder 100 is placed in contact with the upper surface 202 of the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 such that the pins 120 are received in holes 212, the tubular guiding element 104 is oriented along the corresponding anatomic alignment axis A or reverse alignment axis R of the corresponding anatomic or reverse patient-specific glenoid guide 200 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . This is accomplished by taking into account the fixed (constant and non-custom) angle of the tubular guiding element 104 relative to the lower surface 108 (or upper surface 110, when these surfaces are substantially parallel) and preoperatively preparing the orientation of the upper surface 202 of the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 such that the anatomic axis A or reverse axis R that are patient-specific have the same orientation relative to the upper surface 202 as the non-custom and fixed orientation of the tubular guiding element 104 relative to the contacting lower surface 108.

The guide holder 100 and the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 can include corresponding markings indicating whether the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 is prepared for anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty, facilitating easy identification and to avoid confusion. The markings can provide visual and keyed identification through the guide holder 100. The guide holder 100 can include two windows, anatomic window 130 and reverse window 132, correspondingly marked as A or anatomic and R or reverse, as illustrated in FIG. 7 . The upper surface 202 of the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 includes one boss 214 or 218, as illustrated in FIG. 6 . Boss 214 is positioned and configured to mate with the anatomic window 130 and boss 218 is configured to mare with the reverse window 132. By observing which of the two windows, anatomic 130 or reverse 132 receives a boss from the patient-specific glenoid guide 200, the surgeon can immediately verify that the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 is planned for anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , with the guide holder 100 coupled to the patient-specific guide 200 and the patient-specific guide 200 registered and seated in a unique position on the glenoid of the specific patient, a guidewire or guiding pin 150 can be inserted through the tubular element 104 of the guide holder 100 and through the patient-specific guide 200 into the glenoid face 80 of the patient along the anatomic A or reverse R alignment axis depending on the pre-planned surgical procedure. Alternatively, a drill bit can be inserted through the tubular element 104 and a hole 90 drilled into the glenoid through the tubular element 104 for the guiding pin 150. The guide holder 100 and the patient-specific guide 200 can then be removed without removing the guiding pin 150. The guiding pin 150 can be used to guide a cannulated reamer 330 to ream the glenoid 80, as shown in FIG. 8 , and also used for guiding an implant component along the patient-specific alignment direction A or R, correspondingly, for anatomic or reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Generally, the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 of the present teachings references landmarks on the glenoid to orient the glenoid guide 200 in a predetermined orientation according to a preoperative plan for the specific patient. Landmarks can include, for example, the glenoid face 80 with or without any portion of the labrum, the coracoid process (or portions thereof or coracoid attachment), the glenoid rim and/or other landmarks of the scapula. The patient-specific glenoid guide 200 can be used to correctly orient a guide wire or guiding pin 150 along a patient-specific orientation that will be used in later glenoid preparation procedures in combination with a non-custom reusable guide holder 100, as discussed above. The patient-specific orientation can be designed and configured into the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 during the preoperative planning stage for the patient for implant positioning, implant version control, and implant inclination control.

As described above, the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 can fit around or on the exposed glenoid rim and surface substantially as a negative of the corresponding anatomy of the patient. Additionally, the glenoid guide 200 can match or correct defects and imperfections in the specific patient's glenoid. The overall, three-dimensional shape and size of the patient-specific guide 200 and the orientation of the upper surface 202 relative to the patient-specific anatomic alignment axis A or reverse alignment axis R are preoperatively designed such that the patient-specific guide 200 can be coupled to the reusable guide holder 100 and orient the tubular element 104 of the guide holder 100 along the corresponding anatomic alignment axis A or reverse alignment axis R.

The guide holder 100 and the patient-specific glenoid guide 200 can be included in any anatomic or reverse arthroplasty kit with corresponding implants and other instruments.

The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.

Example embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, and will fully convey the scope to those who are skilled in the art. Numerous specific derails are set forth such as examples of specific components, devices, and methods, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that specific details need not be employed, that example embodiments may be embodied in many different forms and that neither should be construed to limit the scope of the disclosure. In some example embodiments, well-known processes, well-known device structures, and well-known technologies are not described in detail. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of preparing a shoulder joint of a patient for arthroplasty comprising: attaching a reusable non-custom guide holder to a patient-specific glenoid guide having a patient-specific lower surface configured to nestingly mate and conform to a corresponding surface of a glenoid face of the patient based on a three-dimensional image of a shoulder joint of the patient reconstructed preoperatively from image scans of the shoulder joint of the patient; mating the patient-specific lower surface on the glenoid face; passing a guiding pin through a bore of the guide holder and through a bore of the patient-specific glenoid guide along a patient-specific alignment orientation of the shoulder joint of the patient; inserting the guiding pin into the glenoid face; removing the guide holder and the patient-specific glenoid guide without removing the guiding pin; and using the guiding pin to prepare the shoulder joint for arthroplasty.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising verifying anatomic or reverse arthroplasty by viewing a boss of the patient-specific glenoid guide through one of two windows of the guide holder that are correspondingly marked to indicate anatomic and reverse arthroplasty.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprising guiding a reamer with the guiding pin to ream the glenoid face.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein passing the guiding pin through the bore of the guide holder comprises passing the guiding pin through an elongate tubular element of the guide holder.
 5. The method of claim 4, wherein removing the guide holder and the patient-specific glenoid guide comprises removing the elongate tubular element from the guide holder.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising pushing the guide holder against the glenoid face of the patient using a handle shaft extending from the guide holder away from the patient-specific lower surface.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the handle shaft comprises an elongate projection defining a major axis extending along a largest dimension of the handle shaft, the handle shaft configured to extend perpendicularly away from the glenoid face when the guide holder is engaged with the glenoid face.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein removing the guide holder and the patient-specific glenoid guide without removing the guiding pin comprises removing the handle shaft from the guide holder.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein attaching the reusable non-custom guide holder to the patient-specific glenoid guide comprises inserting a protuberance of the guide holder into an orifice of the glenoid guide.
 10. The method of claim 1, wherein attaching the reusable non-custom guide holder to the patient-specific glenoid guide comprises aligning the bore of the guide holder with the bore of the glenoid guide along a common axis.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient-specific alignment orientation defines an axis for performing an anatomic shoulder arthroplasty or a reverse shoulder arthroplasty according to a preoperative plan for the specific patient.
 12. The method of claim 1, wherein mating the patient-specific lower surface on the glenoid face comprises engaging portions around a periphery of the patient-specific lower surface with landmarks located along a rim of the glenoid face.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the patient-specific glenoid guide further comprises a back surface spaced from the patient-specific lower surface on an opposite side of the glenoid guide and the bore of the patient-specific glenoid guide extends from the back surface to the patient-specific lower surface.
 14. The method of claim 1, further comprising: separating the reusable non-custom guide holder from the patient-specific glenoid guide; disposing of the patient-specific glenoid guide; and saving the reusable non-custom guide holder for use in a subsequent arthroplasty.
 15. A method of preparing a shoulder joint of a specific patient for arthroplasty comprising: coupling a reusable elongate guide tube to a disposable patient-specific glenoid guide such that an axis of the elongate guide tube aligns with a patient-specific bore in the patient specific glenoid guide for the specific patient; engaging a patient-specific lower surface of the patient-specific glenoid guide with a glenoid face of the specific patient, the patient-specific lower surface configured to nestingly mate and conform to a corresponding surface of the glenoid face of the specific patient based on a three-dimensional image of a shoulder joint of the specific patient reconstructed preoperatively from image scans of the shoulder joint of the specific patient; inserting a guide pin through the elongate guide tube and the patient-specific bore and into the glenoid face; removing the reusable elongate guide tube and the patient-specific glenoid guide without removing the guiding pin; using the guiding pin to prepare the shoulder joint for arthroplasty; separating the reusable elongate guide tube from the disposable patient-specific glenoid guide; disposing of the disposable patient-specific glenoid guide; and saving the reusable elongate guide tube for use in a subsequent arthroplasty.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein coupling the reusable elongate guide tube to the disposable patient-specific glenoid guide comprises inserting a projection of the reusable elongate guide tube into an orifice in the patient-specific glenoid guide.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein coupling the reusable elongate guide tube to the disposable patient-specific glenoid guide comprises coupling the reusable elongate guide tube to a non-custom guide holder and mating a lower surface of the non-custom guide holder to a hack surface of the patient-specific glenoid guide.
 18. A method of preparing a shoulder joint of a patient for arthroplasty comprising: coupling a guide holder having a guide bore to a patient-specific glenoid guide having a patient-specific bore to define a guide pin trajectory; positioning a patient-specific surface of the patient-specific glenoid guide against landmarks of a glenoid to align the guide pin trajectory with an anatomic or reverse shoulder axis of the shoulder joint; and inserting a guide pin into at least one of the patient-specific bore of the patient-specific glenoid guide and the guide bore of the guide holder located along the guide pin trajectory; and extending the guide pin into the glenoid.
 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising: aligning the patient-specific bore of the patient-specific glenoid guide with the guide bore of the guide holder to define the guide pin trajectory; and inserting the guide pin into both of the patient-specific bore of the patient-specific glenoid guide and the guide bore of the guide holder. 